Door construction.



F. A. WINSLOW.

DOOR GONSTRUGTION.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 1a, 1912.

Patented June 9, 1914.

2 SHEETS-BREST 1.

CULUMBIA PLANUGRAPM C0..wAsM|NuToN. D.

F. A. WINSLOW.

DOOR CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT.1s, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

torn @ya coLUMmA PLANODRAPM C0,.wASH|Nu1nN.D.C.

i STATES PATEN OFFIC.

FRANCIS A. WINSLOW, VOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WINSLOW BROTHERS COMPANY, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DOOB CONSTRUCTION.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANCIS A. WINsLow, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Door Construction, (Case 13,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in d oor construction and its object is to provide an improved arrangement particularly adapted for vestibule doors and entrance doors for use in large oflice buildings.

Owing to the excessive height and congested flood area in large oifice and other buildings, the main entrances are usually overcrowded; therefore it is `desirable that every inch of space at the entrances be used to the best advantage. To this end I have provided doors which are hunglby means of trunnions or pivot rods, with the front edge of one door engaging the back of the adjacent door, thereby doing away with the necessity for mullions, which of course would obstruct the entrance. The narrowest practicable construction of mullion in metal is about two inches. Oftentimes the mullions are made five or six inches wide. It will readily be seen, therefore, that where there are a number of doors hung in an entrance the doing away with the mullions effects quite a saving of floor space.

The trunnions or pivot rods referred to are so constructed and disposed that the doors can be readily removed, if for instance, in warm weather it should become desirable that the entrance be unobstructed.

In one form of my invention I provide means whereby, in case of fire or panic, the upper trunnions, by means of which the doors are pivoted, may, by a single operation be thrust from their bearings, thereby allowing the doors to fall to the floor.

Further details of construction ywill appear as this description progresses.Y

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an outside elevational view of an arrangement of entrance doors embodying my invention, ycertain parts being broken away to more clearly reveal the construction; Fig. 2 is a view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l looking in. the direction indicatedV Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 18, 1912.

Patented Julie 9, 1914. serial No. 720,923.

bythe arrows. In this View two of the doors are shown 1n their open position. Fig.` 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direcV tion indicated by the arrows, showing the arrangement of the upper pivot rod and the cylinder pivot therefor. Fig. 4 is a frag` mentary sectional view taken on the line 441: of Fig. 1, showing how the pivoted edge of one of the doors is engaged by the unpivoted edge of the adjacent door; and Fig. 5 shows a modified form of door construction wherein the upper pivot rods may be simultaneously thrust from their bearings in case of fire or panic.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown a plurality of doors 1, each pivoted on the right-hand side thereof at top and bottom by means of trunnions 7 and S respectively to the lintel 9 and the floor 10. Above the lintel I have shown transoms l1. As is clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4l, the adjacent edges of the doo-rs engage each other, there being no mullions interposed between the edges of the doors as in the usual door construction. The pivot rods 7, are disposed in openings 12, in the upper right-hand corners of the doors. Compression springs 13, serve to normally hold the rods 7 in cylindrical pivot bearings 11i, carried by the lintel 9. Each of the pivot rods 7, is provided with a handle 15, extending through a slot 16, on the inside of the door with which it is associated. When a door is to be removed from position, the handle 15 of its pivot rod 7, is grasped and the pivot rod 7 lowered against compression spring 13. The lower trunnions or pivot rods 8, are provided with semi-spherieal heads 17, which, when the doors are in operative position, are disposed in sockets 18, forming therewith the equivalent of a ball and socket joint.

When the pivot rods 7 are removed from their bearings, and the doors are unlocked at their left hand edges the doors may be tilted from a vertical position without danger of damage to the lower pivot rods, due to the ball and socket arrangement referred to. The tops of the sockets 18, are flush with the surface of the floor, as illustrated, in order that when the doors are removed, there will be no obstructions` appearing above the surface of the door. Each of the doors is provided wth a plurality of bars 19, which may be grasped to open or close the door, and which protect the glass 20, with which each of the doors is provided. Any suitable spring means, not shown, may be provided for normally holding the doors in closed position. Vhile I have in the drawings shown the lintel 9 provided with a shoulder 21, to prevent the doors from opening inwardly, it may be sometimes desirable to have lthe doors open both inwardly and outwardly, which may be :accomplished by dispensing with the shoulder 21. Y Y

Byreferring to the drawings it will be seen that the pivoted edges of the doors are rounded. The purpose of this will hereinafter appear. The unpivoted edge of each of the doors Ais provided with a flexible weather strip 22,V of any suitable material, dispo-sedV in a slot in the edge of the door. This weather strip 22, which is conformed to have a U-shaped cross-section, isretained in position by means of a stripv23. The right-hand side of the entrance opening is provided with a weather strip 24, adapted to engage the pivoted edge of the adjacent door. The lefthand side of the entrance yopening is provided with a strip or bar 25, adapted to be engaged by the weather strip carried by its adjacent door. ,'Ihe purpose in having the pivoted edges of the doors rounded as shown,` will now appear. As one of the doors is rotated to la position at right angles to its normal closed position, the weather strip 22, carried` by the door adjacent to it-s pivoted edge,j will at all times be Vin engagement with thesaid rounded pivoted edge. If the pivoted edges ofthe doors were not rounded, as sh'owInthis would not be the case.

As I have found that it is not practicable to lock the doors to each other, each doorv is provided with independent means for glocking the same, which 'may be constructed as follows: Rods 26 and 27 are disposed in lopenings in the doors near the weather strip carrying edges thereof. Each of the doors 'is mortised at 28 to accommodate a vspindle v29,'c`arryinga Vplate 8O within the mortise and a knob or suitable handle 31 on the in# side of the door.

rlhe rods 26 and 27 are lconnected to the plate 30, by means of suitable Alinks 26.a and 27are`spectively. The rods 26 and'27, when in their locking position engagejin `openings 32 and 33 in the lint-el `and floor respectively. In Fig. 1 the locking rods are shown in their locking position. The rods '27 are enlargedjas indicated at 34E in Figfl, in order'to provide a very strong locking connection between the doors and the licor orsill.

It will readily be seen that `incase of lire vkoi-panic the doorscan `be r,veryfeasily reor thrust bolts and lifting the lower rod from its pivot in thefloor, leaving a llush floor without obstruction.l

I will nowgproceed to describe the means which is provided whereby in case of fire or panicV all of the upper pivot rods or thrust Vbolts may be simultaneously and by a single operation thrust from their cylinder pivots in the linte'l', allowing the doors to be tlirown'to the floor.l As illustrated in Fig. 5, the lintel 9, Yisv provided with a hollow interior in which Qarejpivoted suitable bell cranks .34 adjusted yupon a rope orcable Y 35, as shown. The rope or cable 35 is led to any convenient placeV where it is safe' from tampering, and is there provided with a suitable vhandle 36. As shown, the arms 34a, of the bell'cranks are normally disposed directly over the cylindrical pivots 14a. When a-pull is exerted uponthe rope or cable 35, the kbell crank arms 34a, descend into the cylinderpivots Maand thrust the pivot rods 7 a therefrom. The bell cranks may be held in actuated position by secur-` ing an eye 36a, to the handle 36. rIhis eye may be fastened over a suitable projection 37, when the bell cranks have been operated. The pivot rods 7l having been thrust from their bearings, the doors will fall over, or

at least can very easily be pushed over.

The lower pivots corresponding to those illustrated in Fig. 1, no diiculty is kexperienced in pushing overfthe doors.

Vhile I have illustrated my invention in the particular embodiments herein 'shown and described, 'I do not wish tobe limited vkto these eXact constructions, but desire to'claim broadly any equivalent constructions which may suggest themselves to those yskilled in the art.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A uni-planar door construction without mullions, comprisingthree or vmore independently swinging' doors disposed in the same vertical plane when in closedposition,

and trunnions for pivoting the corresponding lateral edges of the doors at top 'and-bottom, said doors whenin closed position disposed with the unpivoted'flat'eral' edge of one adjacent to the pivoted lateral edge of another door. v j v V2. In combination, three or "more doors :normally disposedin the'same vertical plane,

and devices for pivting eachjof said doors at top and bottom 'atl one of thelaterall edges thereof, said doors when in closed position being disposed with 'the unpivot'ed lateral edge of one adjacent to thepivoted-la'teral. edge of an adjacent door.

lOO

3. A door coiistr'uctlonl Acomprising 'three i n "doors disposedin-the `same vertical plane when'in closed position, trunnions l*for pivoting each of said doorsat top VVAand;bottoi'n at one ofthelateraledges thereof,'each"edgef of the middle one of said doors being engaged by an adjacent edge of one of the other doors when all of the doors are in closed position.

4. In combination, three or more doors disposed in the same vertical plane when in closed position, and trunnions for pivoting the corresponding lateral edges of the doors at top and bottom, each of said doors having one of its lateral edges engaged by one of the lateral edges of an adjacent door when, the several doors are in closed position.

5. In combination, a plurality of doors;

each pivoted at top and bottom near one of the lateral edges thereof, the unpivoted lateral edge of one of said doors located immediately adjacent a pivoted lateral edge of the next, the pivoted lateral edge of each one of said doors beingrounded to present a surface substantially concentric with a line through its pivots and a flexible strip carried by the one unpivoted edge of an adjacent door arranged to tightly engage said rounded surface at all times.

6. In combination, aplurality of doors disposed with their adjacent edges engaging each other, each pivoted at top and bottom by means of trunnions, and means whereby the upper trunnions may be simultaneously thrust from their bearings.

7. In combination, a plurality of doors disposed with their adjacent edges engaging each other, each pivoted at top and bottom by means of trunnions, and means whereby the upper trunnions may be simultaneously thrust from their pivots, the said lower trunnions having ball and socket engagement with their bearings.

8. In combination, three or more doors disposed with their adjacent edges engaging each other, each pivoted at top and bottom, the pivots of one door being adjacent to the free edge of the adjacent door, and means whereby the upper pivots may be simultaneously thrust from their bearings, the said lower pivots having ball and socket engagement with their bearings.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 14th day of September, A. D.

FRANCIS A. WINSLOW. Witnesses:

R. E. PAUL, L. MATTHIAS.

Copies of this patent may `be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

